How to Make a DIY Terrarium Using Old Picture Frames

Recycle old wooden picture frames with this budget-friendly (and green!) craft from CJ Hughes of theupcycler.com.

Build This Mini-Greenhouse

Give your ferns, orchids, and other hothouse plants a lovely place to call home with this craft project. Made from picture frames, the glass house does require some work—and at least a few free hours—but the result produces a Victorian-style indoor oasis.

Align an 11" x 14" with an 8" x 10" frame as shown. Drill one hole near the top and one near the bottom, through the larger frame and halfway into the smaller; screw together. (The screws you use should correspond with your drill bit. We suggest a 3/32" bit and #6 x ½" wood screws.) Repeat with other 11" x 14" and 8" x 10" frames.

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Step 3

Arrange the two L's you've created as shown. Attach them to each other using the same method described in Step 2 to form the terrarium's base.

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Step 4

Place two 5" x 7" frames facedown. Align a 2" mending plate at each end of the frames, as shown. Drill pilot holes and secure with screws. Repeat with the two remaining frames.

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Step 5

Align the two sets of 5" x 7" frames as shown. Attach a corner bracket inside each end of the eave, using the method described in Step 4.

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Step 6

Line the resulting roof up with the base, as shown. Place two 1" utility hinges, spaced evenly apart, over the joint where the pieces meet. Drill holes and screw together.

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Step 7

Trace the inside of an eave on paper. Cut out, and trace the resulting triangle onto a piece of ½"-thick plywood. Repeat; then cut the wood.

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Step 8

Fit the cut wood into each end of the roof. Attach by predrilling holes from the outside of the roof into the triangles and securing with screws.

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Step 9

Wearing gloves for safety, smooth wood filler over the terrarium's exterior, filling in the joints and covering the screw holes. Let dry for several hours; then lightly sand.

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Step 10

Paint the piece white. For a distressed finish, apply a dark furniture polish over the paint after it dries. Let sit for a few minutes; then buff off.

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Step 11

Replace the glass from the bottom up. Place hot glue in the corners of each frame, pop the pane in, and run glue around each frame's inside edge.

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Step 12

Lift the terrarium's lid to fit your favorite plants inside. Set by a sunny window and admire how your mini garden grows.

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